ISO Management Systems – Climate Change Updates

ISO / Annex SL – Climate Change Updates

In response to the 2021 London Declaration, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has taken steps to address and integrate climate change into its standards. Clause 4.1 and 4.2 of Annex SL (Harmonised Framework for Systems Standards), have been updated to adopt this so all ISO Management Systems are impacted, including ISO 9001 (Quality Management), ISO/IEC 27001 (Information Security), ISO 14001 (Environmental) and ISO 45001 (Occupational Health and Safety) among others.

 

 

Key points:

Clauses 4.1 and 4.2 in Annex SL have been amended in response to the London Declaration, and additional wording has been added (shown in italics).

4.1 Understanding the organisation and its context

The organisation shall determine external and internal issues that are relevant to its purpose and that affect its ability to achieve the intended result(s) of its XXX management system.

Added (New Requirement): The organisation shall determine whether climate change is a relevant issue.

4.2 Understanding the needs and expectations of interested parties

The organisation shall determine:

  • the interested parties that are relevant to the XXX management system.
  • the relevant requirements of these interested parties.
  • which of these requirements will be addressed through the XXX management system.

Added (New Note): Relevant interested parties can have requirements related to climate change.

How will this impact users of ISO Management System Standards?

This change will impact all ISO management systems, not just those who have an environmental management system (EMS) such as ISO 14001. The amendments mean that organisations will now need to be able to demonstrate that they have considered whether climate change is relevant to each discipline.

Key points:

  • The organisation must address these requirements at its next audit.
  • It does not require the organisation to put into place any climate controls but rather they must include climate change/climate impact in their discussions and decision-making.
  • If it is decided that climate control is an issue for the organisation, then the organisation should put into place the necessary controls reflected in the necessary policies, plans, processes, and other actions, as per their organisational strategy.

For more information on these changes, review ISO Annex SL Amendment (link below).

https://committee.iso.org/files/live/sites/jtc1sc40/files/Change%20is%20coming%2020231114b.pdf